Katie Cortina chose to major in photography in her first semester at AACC on a whim, but her time at the school made it an intentional career path.
“I thought ‘You know what, I'm just going to pick something. And if I don't like it, I can change it,’” she said about her initial registration. “This has really been a journey of me learning, and I've just fallen in love with it even more.”
Though a fan of taking landscapes and having experience shooting events and family photos, Cortina’s work has veered toward specializing in photography for small businesses. In her involvement with the Entrepreneurial Studies Institute (ESI) and as a Ratcliffe Scholarship recipient, she has networked with local businesses and learned how to make a career out of her art.
“I’ve narrowed down to the niche of small business photography; it's really because I want to help the community and value interpersonal connection,” she said. “I like working alongside somebody, building them up, just learning more about who they are, and what they're trying to do. … I love storytelling.”
Cortina said she’s benefited from the coaching and mentoring within AACC’s entrepreneurship community. It’s what she’ll miss most after graduating spring 2026.
“ESI has really been my home base. In the community, people are always just helping each other out,” she said. “It’s really nice.” She said it has given her confidence in her career choices and also confidence in general.
Despite her aversion to math, Cortina decided to tackle a physics course during her last semester. She thought the sections on sound and light could enhance her photography and wanted the challenge. “I'm typically a person who shies away from a challenge,” she said.
She finished with an A.